ZIP code
98233
in Burlington, WashingtonPopulation 17,850
56.39/ 100
Ranked #7,881 of 32,066 US ZIPs (top 25%)
Ranked #192 of 581 Washington ZIPs (top 33%)
Ranked #5 of 13 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA ZIPs (top 38%)
Ranks are modeled estimates — ZIPs a few hundred places apart are effectively tied.
What defines this ZIP
Metrics where this ZIP sits in the tails of the national distribution — the ones that most set it apart. Select any tile for its definition and methodology.
Natural-disaster risk
in the top 0.4% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST99thUS99thDefinition & source ›
This area’s national rank on its single highest non-flood natural hazard — such as wildfire, tornado, or earthquake — in FEMA’s modeled National Risk Index; flooding is shown separately.
Full methodology ›Humid extreme heat
3.3 days/year
in the bottom 2.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST9thUS2ndDefinition & source ›
The average number of days per year when modeled heat stress — temperature, humidity, sun, and wind combined — reaches levels hard on the body outdoors.
Full methodology ›Subsidized affordable housing
648 units
in the top 3.1% nationally
Higher is healthier
ST91stUS97thDefinition & source ›
The number of affordable rental units in this ZIP supported by the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.
Full methodology ›Transportation noise
11.5%
in the top 6.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST94thUS93rdDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of residents exposed to average road, rail, and aviation noise at or above 55 decibels — a noticeable background presence.
Full methodology ›Slow internet speeds
1.4%
in the top 8.3% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST90thUS92ndDefinition & source ›
The share of homes whose fastest available download speed is under 10 Mbps.
Full methodology ›PFAS in drinking water
58%
in the top 8.8% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST85thUS91stDefinition & source ›
The modeled probability that PFAS “forever chemicals” would be detected in untreated groundwater in this area, the source private wells draw on.
A modeled likelihood for untreated groundwater, the source drawn on by private wells, which are federally unregulated. It is not a measurement of treated water delivered by a public system, and it is not a test of any individual well.
Full methodology ›Expected annual disaster loss
$0
in the top 10.0% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST72ndUS90thDefinition & source ›
FEMA’s modeled estimate, in dollars per year, of the average harm to people expected from natural hazards — an annualized average, not a forecast for any single year.
Full methodology ›Loud transportation noise
1.6%
in the top 10.9% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST91stUS89thDefinition & source ›
The modeled share of residents exposed to average road, rail, and aviation noise at or above 65 decibels — around the volume of normal conversation.
Full methodology ›High cholesterol
32.4%
in the bottom 7.6% nationally
Lower is healthier
ST10thUS8thDefinition & source ›
The estimated share of adults with high cholesterol, among those who have ever been screened for it.
Full methodology ›The read
Judged by its overall standing, Burlington, Washington (ZIP 98233) sits in the top 25% healthiest ZIPs nationally (7,881st) and the top 33% of Washington (192nd), based on limited data; treat as directional.
An even profile, with readings pulling both ways: modeled humid heat settles in the bottom 2.0% nationally, and subsidized affordable housing lands in the top 3.1% nationally. Modeled extreme heat rests at the national minimum, shared with about 19% of ZIPs. Dental providers settles in the top 10.7% nationally. Against that, modeled disaster risk lands in the top 0.4% nationally, and transportation noise rests in the top 6.8% nationally. Slow internet speeds settles in the top 8.3% nationally, and modeled pfas lands in the top 8.8% nationally. Modeled expected annual loss rests in the top 10.0% nationally, and housing-cost burden settles in the top 10.4% nationally.
Placed beside its immediate neighbors, park land runs far lower than the surrounding ZIPs on this measure. Put plainly, disaster risk is the area's national rank on its highest non-flood peril in FEMA's modeled Risk Index, like wildfire or quake. Pfas is the man-made "forever chemicals" that build up in the body and environment instead of breaking down; here a modeled estimate of the chance a private well contains them. Expected annual loss is FEMA's modeled estimate, in dollars, of average yearly harm to people from natural hazards. A healthier nearby ZIP overall is ZIP 98229, just across the boundary.
What’s driving this score
Nine domains make up the ZipVitals Score — here is how this ZIP does on each, and how much each one counts.
Compared with the ZIP codes measured across all nine scoring domains — not with all US ZIP codes.
Lifting this score
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 75%
21%
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 92%
16%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 62%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 84%
11%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
in the top 0.00%
5%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 71%
5%
About typical
Disability
healthier than 56%
7%
Holding it back
Preventive Care
healthier than 15%
13%
Mental Health
healthier than 34%
8%
Lifting this score
Social Need / SDOH
healthier than 79%
16%
Climate / Disaster RiskPartial
in the top 0.00%
5%
About typical
Chronic Disease Burden
healthier than 54%
21%
Environmental Hazard
healthier than 59%
14%
Risk Behavior
healthier than 50%
11%
Mental Health
healthier than 47%
8%
Healthcare Access
healthier than 57%
5%
Holding it back
Preventive Care
healthier than 25%
13%
Disability
healthier than 30%
7%
“Share” is how much of this ZIP’s score the domain accounts for. Percentages are rounded; higher is healthier in every domain. How the score works, and who it compares you with ›
Findings that name this ZIP
One of our published findings lists this ZIP code. Each finding compares one published measure against a stated benchmark, and names only the ZIP codes whose estimates are reliable enough to rank. See all surprising findings.
Below its nearby ZIPs
The ZIP codes that outlive their neighbors
Estimated life expectancy is 79.0 ± 1.5 years. The 49 nearest ZIP codes with estimates average 81.7 years — 2.7 years below them.
Ranked #2,096 of the 3,687 ZIP codes this finding names, ordered by years above the nearby-ZIP average, highest first.
Nearby & similar ZIPs
Editorially selected — see how this ZIP compares to nearby and similar places.
Nearby
98229
Washingtonshares a border
Score 61.09
Closest healthier
98232
Washingtonshares a border
Score 59.66
Similar health profile
98801
Washington98% similar profile
Score 56.90
How these were chosen: only ZIPs with a published Score appear — a nearby ZIP with too little data to score won’t. Nearby means closest by distance between ZIP boundaries, which can cross state lines. A similar health profile is a close match across the nine Score domains, not similar demographics. Distances are measured between ZIP boundaries — ZIPs that touch share a border. How distance is measured
Evidence
Every measure this page draws on, by source. Collapsed by default — the full data stays in the page for search engines either way.
Health OutcomesCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Arthritis among adults | 27.5% | 25.0–29.9 |
| High blood pressure among adults | 30.9% | 27.9–33.6 |
| Cancer (non-skin) or melanoma among adults | 8.6% | 7.8–9.3 |
| Current asthma among adults | 11.1% | 9.9–12.3 |
| Coronary heart disease among adults | 6.3% | 5.6–7.0 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults | 6.1% | 5.4–6.8 |
| Depression among adults | 25.7% | 22.7–28.7 |
| Diagnosed diabetes among adults | 10.1% | 8.8–11.4 |
| High cholesterol among adults who have ever been screened | 32.4% | 29.3–35.4 |
| Obesity among adults | 33.1% | 28.5–37.5 |
| Stroke among adults | 3.4% | 3.1–3.7 |
| All teeth lost among adults aged >=65 years | 10.8% | 8.8–13.0 |
PreventionCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 years | 12.1% | 10.4–13.8 |
| Taking medicine to control high blood pressure among adults with high blood pressure | 72.2% | 69.2–74.9 |
| Visits to doctor for routine checkup within the past year among adults | 69.1% | 65.6–72.2 |
| Cholesterol screening among adults | 82.3% | 80.5–84.1 |
| Colorectal cancer screening among adults aged 45–75 years | 64.5% | 60.3–68.5 |
| Visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year among adults | 62.2% | 59.1–65.2 |
| Mammography use among women aged 50-74 years | 76.0% | 69.8–81.5 |
Health Risk BehaviorsCDC PLACES 2022 / 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking among adults | 16.5% | 14.0–19.0 |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 11.5% | 10.0–13.1 |
| No leisure-time physical activity among adults | 20.5% | 17.5–23.4 |
| Short sleep duration among adults | 31.4% | 27.4–35.7 |
Health StatusCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor self-rated health status among adults | 18.6% | 16.4–20.8 |
| Frequent mental distress among adults | 16.8% | 15.0–18.5 |
| Frequent physical distress among adults | 14.3% | 12.7–15.9 |
DisabilityCDC PLACES 2023 · BRFSS
| Measure | Crude prevalence | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability among adults | 15.2% | 13.6–16.8 |
| Any disability among adults | 31.3% | 28.0–34.4 |
| Hearing disability among adults | 8.0% | 7.2–8.8 |
| Independent living disability among adults | 8.1% | 7.2–9.0 |
| Mobility disability among adults | 13.3% | 11.7–15.0 |
| Self-care disability among adults | 3.7% | 3.3–4.1 |
| Vision disability among adults | 5.1% | 4.6–5.6 |
Community & economyCensus ACS 5-Year · 2024 release · observed
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | WA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 12.7% | 10.6% (3.1–25.8%) n=32,364 | 9.6% (3.5–22.3%) n=583 |
| Uninsured 18–64 | 14.4% | 9.0% (1.5–24.3%) n=32,286 | 8.2% (1.8–22.7%) n=582 |
| No HS diploma (25+) | 8.1% | 7.9% (1.8–20.7%) n=32,505 | 7.0% (1.5–16.5%) n=588 |
| Bachelor's or higher (25+) | 22.3% | 23.3% (9.2–53.6%) n=32,505 | 27.4% (12.3–59.7%) n=588 |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 5.1% | 3.9% (0.0–9.8%) n=32,274 | 4.5% (0.0–9.7%) n=584 |
| Households without a vehicle | 3.4% | 3.9% (0.0–12.5%) n=32,322 | 3.7% (0.0–10.2%) n=580 |
| Broadband subscription | 93.4% | 89.3% (75.1–97.1%) n=32,322 | 92.7% (81.1–97.4%) n=580 |
| Housing cost burden (≥30% income) | 39.7% | 23.7% (10.6–40.0%) n=32,322 | 28.9% (14.6–40.6%) n=580 |
| Homeownership rate | 59.4% | 78.7% (51.7–94.0%) n=32,322 | 75.2% (48.2–91.7%) n=580 |
| Crowded housing (>1 per room) | 4.6% | 1.3% (0.0–6.3%) n=32,322 | 2.6% (0.0–7.9%) n=580 |
| Foreign-born population | 10.0% | 2.6% (0.0–18.6%) n=32,553 | 6.7% (0.3–27.6%) n=588 |
| Single-parent households | 48.1% | 53.6% (37.3–74.1%) n=32,087 | 54.3% (40.5–76.0%) n=574 |
| Population 65+ | 18.1% | 19.4% (10.8–33.6%) n=32,553 | 18.9% (10.3–36.9%) n=588 |
| Median age | 39.3 yr | 42.2 yr (33.0–56.3) n=32,292 | 41.0 yr (32.9–58.8) n=584 |
| Median household income | $87,614 | $72,070 ($46,039–$118,707) n=30,318 | $84,646 ($56,217–$132,145) n=547 |
| Median home value | $502,100 | $222,200 ($100,300–$579,820) n=30,049 | $452,750 ($241,540–$826,380) n=542 |
| Median gross rent | $1,708 | $1,021 ($677–$1,912) n=25,670 | $1,416 ($840–$2,197) n=476 |
Life expectancyNCHS / RWJF USALEEP · model-based
| Measure | Value | US median (p10–p90) | WA median (p10–p90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.0 yr ± 0.77 | 78.9 yr (74.7–82.8) n=31,308 | 80.2 yr (77.3–83.1) n=584 |
About the ± — it’s this estimate’s give-or-take (statisticians call it the standard error). The true life expectancy for this ZIP most likely falls within 0.77 years of 79.0, and it’s very unlikely to be off by more than twice that.
More ZIPs to explore ▾More ZIPs to explore ▴
How these lists were built: they draw only from ZIPs that have a published Score, so ZIPs with too little data to score are not listed. Distance-based lists use distance between ZIP boundaries with no state filter, so an out-of-state ZIP can appear. Statistically similar means a close match across the nine Score domains, not a demographic match: the measure is the cosine similarity between two ZIPs’ domain scores, taken over the domains both ZIPs have data for and only where that overlap covers at least six of the nine — and where no ZIP clears that minimum-overlap floor, that list is left out rather than filled with a weak match. How distance is measured